After navigating a challenging year, an independent bookshop is looking forward to a new chapter.
Boosted by the national success of Bookshop.org in supporting Paper-works Books and Prints, the bookshop in Lowestoft is aiming to put on evening events this spring while linking with the First Light Festival.
With Books and Prints being one of 500 independent bookshops, sales were booming around the Christmas period both in their physical shops and online.
With the high street store featuring a curated collection of second-hand fiction and non fiction as well as new titles by local authors, the links with Bookshop.org allows the shop to also meet customers demand for newly published titles.
It has seen Bookshop.org customers generating more than £2 million in profit for independent stores, with 55 per cent of the total profit being distributed to bookshops in customer-designated commissions, and 45pc being shared equally among all participating bookshops as part of a shared profit pool.
Hugh Davies, from Books and Prints in Lowestoft, said: “The Bookshop.org commissions we receive are fundamental to supporting our tiny community bookshop.
"During the last year we developed a Book Bike to take our love of books into the community."
After designing and building the roadworthy structure from plywood and high-performance resins, the bicycle trailer unfolds into a 6ft-high double-sided bookshop complete with a protective umbrella canopy.
It can display more than 200 books and a selection of the shop's handmade prints, with the mobile store taken to a number of community events.
Mr Davies said: "This coming year we are working with 'The New Curiosity Shop' to provide a programme of exciting evening events this spring, and also the First Light Festival to provide a Festival Bookshop.
"We would not be able to explore these different ways of serving our community without the support that Bookshop.org provides."
Books and Prints are currently creating specific book lists to embrace the key themes of Lowestoft's prestigious First Light Festival, as well as providing in depth background to the many organisations and individuals who will be participating in the 24-hour festival in June this year.
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